Claire Phillips, Sales Director at Alfatronix, outlines to John Lewis how the company is keeping pace with the latest technology, consistently refining and redeveloping its range
Anybody with a smartphone realises how essential it is to keep it charged up at all times. Allow the battery to go flat and you are immediately cut off from social media, texts and emails; and you can’t even call your family, friends and work colleagues to tell them about your plight.
That is why it can be vital to have a USB charging socket available to recharge your phone wherever you are. That includes when you are on the bus. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Alfatronix has been producing onboard USB chargers for several years under the PowerVerter Pro banner. Due to an evolution in technology, it has now developed another approach which bus companies can offer to their customers as a service: onboard wireless charging.
Alfatronix’s wireless chargers will be launched at this year’s Euro Bus Expo show at Birmingham’s NEC (30 October to 1 November). On display will be the integrated wireless charger for all passenger seating, installed in a Lazzerini console, and table-top wireless charging.
“I predict they will be installed on buses on premium routes first,” said Alfatronix Sales Director, Claire Phillips. Competitively-priced, and with branding options available, they will be rolled out to other routes thereafter, she adds.
Alfatronix recognises that some people will still want to plug their devices into a USB point. As a consequence, it has also come up with a compact unit – the Alfatronix POD – that offers both a wireless and a USB solution on a single printed circuit board, says Claire.
“It accepts 9v-32v DC from the vehicle’s electrical system which then converts to 5v DC to provide power to the wireless charging coil, in one simple casing,” she said.
“Both the integrated passenger seat and table top wireless charging units will be available later this year, with the Alfatronix POD available early next year for new vehicle build and retrofit applications,” she continued.
“We’re not sure whether to call it a pod or a console so we’ve started referring to it as the podsole. We think the reaction to it is going to be extremely positive and that it will be well-received in the market.”
The wireless device is equipped with a holder which transmits the charge to the smartphone when it is docked. One advantage of this approach is that it allows the phone’s owner to watch videos while travelling without draining the phone’s battery.
“Onboard charging is something of a necessity that is widely accepted by all demographics and helps determine an operator’s success,” Claire observed. “People seem to be increasingly saying: ‘I’ll catch the bus with the charging facilities’.”
It’s one of the reasons why passengers choose a specific operator for their journey: “When passengers have got a spare minute, they inevitably get their smartphones out and check their email or texts,” she said. “As an industry, we are encouraging commuter passengers to use our vehicles, so we also need to create a business-friendly environment that permits the use of smart devices.”
The integrated wireless charging unit will be demonstrated in a vehicle at Euro Bus Expo with land-based systems installed on tables nearby. All products will be available on the Alfatronix stand, stand T42.
Offering either single or twin outputs, the PowerVerter Pro range of conventional USB chargers referred to earlier was redesigned in 2016. They were given a more attractive appearance with a dark grey body and a contrasting light grey ring as well as a clearer blue LED indicator.
The indicator draws attention to the charger, Alfatronix says, and encourages its use.
The front fitting system was also improved, with a round bezel and tamper-proof covering which hides the screws, but still allows the unit to be replaced quickly and simply should this be necessary says the company. IP65 fully potted USB chargers are also available for vehicle sidewall installations to protect the electronic circuitry from dust and moisture ingress.
Automatic short-circuit detection is included, which means that the unit will automatically shut down if it is tampered with or compromised in any way. It will restart once the fault has been removed.
The USB products can counteract the voltage drop that often occurs when output currents vary as different devices charge at different rates, Alfatronix points out. This avoids the common problem of a phone or tablet indicating it is charging when in reality very little current is being supplied.
They also have a low quiescent current of less than 2mA. This means that multiple devices can safely be installed throughout buses and coaches without significantly discharging the battery.
Based in Dorset, Alfatronix does all its research and development, design work and manufacturing in premises on the Newtown Business Park in Poole.
“Due to the success of the USB range, we’ve recently set up a new manufacturing facility for the production of both our USB and wireless charging products,” said Claire. “It goes to show that manufacturing is very much alive in the UK.”
With 50 employees, the company produced 130,000 USB chargers in 2017 and grew by 25%. Around 65% of its output is exported, and it does not appear to be unduly worried about Brexit.
“We think we’ve placed ourselves in a reasonable position,” said Claire. “Some raw materials for our products come in from Europe, but we carry buffer stocks and we have alternative sources of supply.
“Admittedly Germany is our second-biggest market after the UK, and France isn’t far behind, but we export worldwide,” she added. There are not many versatile businesses around the world that can adapt to market change and offer what Alfatronix does; it works with key OEMs to produce innovative, fit-for-purpose products and will be aiming its wireless charging system at export markets as well as at a domestic audience.
Due to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, Alfatronix was founded by Peter Verralls. “He started out by building antennae for leisure marine craft in his kitchen,” said Claire.
The firm went on to produce DC voltage droppers for automotive applications, which reduce voltage from 24v to 12v. “That remains an important part of our activities,” she said. The antenna side of the business was disposed of in the mid-1990s and in 2007 the firm underwent a management buy-out. Today it is owned by Managing Director, Keith Riley.
The voltage droppers are sold through distribution, but the USB and wireless chargers are supplied direct to bus and coach manufacturers, bodybuilders and seat producers. “We supply some of the UK’s biggest bus operators too,” Claire said. The list includes Stagecoach, National Express and Go-Ahead.
Products that Alfatronix is particularly proud of include its dual-output converters. They provide a permanent output and a switchable feed through the vehicle’s ignition for maintaining radio memory and allowing correct shutdown of the CCTV system’s digital video recorder.
Also worthy of mention are its stabilised DC-DC voltage converters.
Such stabilisation has become vitally important, says the company, as a consequence of the sensitivity of modern electronic equipment to variable input voltages and electromagnetic interference.
Stop/start technology has added to the problem, because the engine may end up cutting out and re-starting every few minutes in city traffic.
Stop/start brings benefits in terms of reduced fuel consumption and emissions but affects the vehicle’s electrical system every time it is activated. Products such as the ones produced by Alfatronix, however, ensure that everything keeps functioning smoothly; and that means passengers’ journeys are not interrupted.
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